Into the Night (1985)

Married engineer in Los Angeles, stuck in a rut and unable to sleep at night, gets mixed up with a kooky girl willingly being used as a courier for a jewel smuggler; she's got the six priceless emeralds hidden in a jacket, and now the couple is being chased all over the city by international villains. Lively comedy-thriller from director John Landis, who has filled many of the supporting roles with his filmmaker friends (and given himself a plum part as well); nevertheless, his movie loses its bearings whenever it becomes too realistically violent, although leads Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer turn out to be an affable romantic match. The picture is disarming and entertaining most of the way, with Irene Papas giving a magnetic performance as the couple's 'drop', a no-nonsense descendant of Iranian royalty. Pretty funny once you get the idea, however Ron Koslow's screenplay has elements that fail to cohere, such as Goldblum's boring job and unfaithful wife. Making a guest appearance, filmmaker Jonathan Demme, whose "Married to the Mob" in 1988 also starred Pfeiffer, ultimately delivered his own funny/violent movie very similar in tone to this one. **1/2 from ****

Ed Okin (Jeff Goldblum) struggles with insomnia. His wife cheats and his job is a dead-end. His best friend Herb (Dan Aykroyd) suggests going to Vegas. At LAX, he gets involved with jewel smuggler Diana (Michelle Pfeiffer) on the run from four Iranian gangsters. It's the beginning of two wild nights in the city.This is most memorable for glimpses of a naked Michelle Pfeiffer. She's the engine behind this movie. It's perfectly believable to have her lead him everywhere. Goldblum has a tired insomniac persona and the movie meanders in a good way. It's a bunch of random adventures that don't always go anywhere or end in laughs. The Iranians can't seem to open doors and that's good for a small chuckle. It's a weird nights-out movie and I don't mind spending the time with these two characters.

Jeff Goldblum mistook "Into the Night" for a silent; his lack of dialog, quirky gestures and narcoleptic detachment render him absent- not the sole MIA. There's an awkward lack of chemistry between Goldblum and love-interest, Michelle Pfeiffer. This disjointed Landis flop survives on cable for its millisecond glimpse of Pfeiffer, naked. If Landis had devoted time directing rather than decorating this production with idiosyncratic baubles ("Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein") the film might have benefited. Unfortunately, this dog was DOA: a fine score that NEVER fits the film, poor continuity, horrible timing, actors bored by a lame script, a story line that was apparently discovered in the editing room. If David Bowie's cameo was intended as cherry, it topped something otherwise inedible.

The plot here about a woman (Michelle Pfieffer) who has six emeralds that a bunch of murderous heavies want to get their hands on is pretty silly, but what rescues the film is some brilliant direction from John Landis, and I mean brilliant. It would not surprise me if they study this at film school. He takes every banal scene and adds a touch of comedy, clowning, in-jokes (more cameos of famous people and film directors than you could believe), or just tension. There is not a flat moment in the whole film. The choice of upmarket locations in Los Angeles too is a constant dazzle. Overall this pacing overcomes an average input from the love interest of Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer who do not really gel.